On Jan. 14 the Barnstable Education Foundation (www.barnstableeducationfoundation.org) awarded its first series of grants in a ceremony at Alberto's Ristorante in Hyannis. A list of proposals funded follows:

·Barnstable High School English Department, Maureen Leveroni, Laura Walsh, Brooke Styche, Jennifer Brown and Sharon Morgan, “Poetry Slam!”: $500, to fund the First Poetry Slam contest at BHS, writing workshops with Joe Gouveia (poet and writer for the Patriot), and a competition in the spring, which includes cash prizes for the winners.

·Colleen Halloran, Community Learning Services, “You’ve Got Rhythm”: $400, for a collaborative endeavor between BHS Drum Line and seniors in the school’s community service program; funds a visit to three district elementary schools to present a program on percussion and rhythm for fourth grade students.

·Sharon Morgan, BHS librarian, “Reaching All Students”: $400, for the purchases of audio books which will continue to build upon a collection of “core novels” that are part of the BHS required reading curriculum.

Cooking for a cause

Brewster After-school Childcare is hosting a pancake breakfast Feb. 1 from 7:30 a.m. until noon at the VFW on Freeman’s Way in Brewster. Volunteers will serve up pancakes with syrup, sausage, bacon, melon, coffee, juice and hot chocolate. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children under 12. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 508-896-7900.

Special Education Parent Advisory to meet

The Barnstable Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC)will meet Feb. 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Barnstable High School (Room 1202. The meeting will begin with bylaw change proposals. At 7, Dr. Thomas Bober, a holistic physician with All-Well Holistic Healthcare, will speak about nutrition and the body, brain, behavior connection. This seminar is geared towards helping children with learning disabilities, but the information also has applications for other maladies, including high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders, depression and more. You do not have to be a member of Barnstable SEPAC to attend. For more information contact Linda at 774-994-0713 or Michelle at 508-428-0167.

Engineers and space cadets wanted for JR TECH

JR TECH has two workshops set for the week of Feb. 16: “Bridges Build 'Em & Bust 'Em” and “Spaceworks Academy.” These workshops are open to students in grades 5 through 8.

Bridges Build 'Em & Bust 'Em: This popular workshop allows participants to become members of a bridge-building team and design, finance and test build a model bridge. Working in groups, students form construction companies to create the strongest, most economical and efficient bridge. Finished bridges can be entered into the Build 'Em & Bust 'Em competition. Cost for this event is $125 and the program will run from 9 a.m. to noon from Feb. 17 to 20 at Upper Cape Tech in Bourne.

Spaceworks Academy: Students can test their strength, coordination and stamina as they work through Astronaut Training Station simulations from NASA. Participants will work as NASA engineers and compete in the final "Lunar Rover" competition to see which rover travels the farthest distance and has the greatest speed. Cost is $125 and the workshop runs from 1 to 4 p.m. from Feb. 17 to 20 at Upper Cape Tech in Bourne.

ECHO of Cape Cod is looking for youth applicants for its spring retreat weekends, to be held at the Craigville Conference Center in Centerville. Applicants must be high school sophomores, juniors, seniors or freshmen in college.

ECHO is Catholic based but youth of all faith are welcome.

Each year, the ECHO Youth Board, made up of teenagers who went through the program themselves, support 6 weekend retreats. Each retreat starts Friday evening and ends Sunday evening with a closing Mass and ceremony.

The schedule of upcoming retreats is Feb. 6 to 8 for boys, March 6 to 8 for girls and Apr. 3 to 5 for boys. Applications may be downloaded at www.echoofcapecod.org

Youth participating do not have to be church going, but should be open to deepening their faith.

It takes $125 to support one teenager participating in the program. ECHO is currently finalizing its fundraising effort towards raising $10,000 to support one full year of the program. To donate, send a donation to ECHO, 79 Puritan Road, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532.

Cape Cod Community College’s Nursing Program will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Associate Degree in Science Nursing Program.

Interested members of the public are invited to personally meet the visiting team and share comments about the program on Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. in the boardroom of the Nickerson Administration Building. Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted to Dr. Sharon Tanner, executive director, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, NY, 10006, or by email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.

Raising Children with Asperger’s Syndrome, a monthly support group for parents and guardians of children diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, meets the third Monday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Southeast Alternative School on 270 Communications Way, Unit 2 G in Hyannis. RSVP at 508-862-0288 ext. 10.

Help their garden grow

Donations are being accepted to help build the memorial garden in the Cobb Astro Park at Barnstable High School. The project will include a fountain, reflection areas and handmade ceramic tiles commemorating students and staff who have died. Checks can be made payable to Barnstable High School with Memorial Garden in the memo and sent c/o Dr. John Mika, Barnstable High School, 744 West Main St., Hyannis, 02601.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Osterville Garden Club 2009 Scholarships

The Osterville Garden Club will award scholarships to Barnstable residents who are graduates of Barnstable High School, Sturgis Charter School and Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich. Seniors and recent graduates attending collage may apply. To qualify, students must be planning to major in horticulture, botany, landscape design, conservation, forestry, environmental sciences, and related fields. Applications are available in the guidance offices of those schools and must be received by March 1 by the club.

Cape Cod Association scholarship

The Cape Cod Association, one of Barnstable County’s oldest philanthropic groups and one of the largest independent scholarship funds in New England, has announced the start of its annual scholarship campaign for students from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket who will be attending college or technical school in fall 2009. Last year, the Association awarded almost $400,000 to approximately 300 Cape and Island students.

Applicants may attend two- and four-year colleges, technical schools, and community colleges anywhere in the United States. Applications are available through high school guidance departments, the Association website (www.capecodassoc.org), or by calling 508-790-8055. All applications must be postmarked by April 1. Late or incomplete applications, or applications on old forms, will not be accepted.

Master Gardener scholarship

The Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod is offering a scholarship in the amount of $1000 for the Fall 2009 semester. Applicants must meet the following criteria: 1) The applicant must be a current high school senior or enrolled in college and majoring in the field of horticulture or related studies and a resident of Barnstable County; 2) The applicant must have work experience in the field of horticulture prior to applying for the scholarship; 3) The application must be on the approved form. Applications are due April 1 and forms are available at all high school Guidance offices and online at www.capecodextension.org, or by calling the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension at 508-375-6690.

Rotary Club of Osterville

The Rotary Club of Osterville will award two scholarships of $1000 a year for four years to Barnstable residents who are graduates of Barnstable High School, Sturgis Charter School, Cape Cod Academy or Cape Cod Technical High School in Harwich. In addition to completing an application, students must submit a short essay on the theme of “Service Above Self.” Applications are available in all high school Guidance offices and must be received by the club no later than April 10.

Nauset Garden Club

The Nauset Garden Club will award two $3,000 scholarships to permanent residents of Cape Cod or the Islands for the 2009-2010 academic year. The students should be entering their junior or senior year of college majoring in landscape design, horticulture, environmental, marine or a related science, or be enrolled in a graduate program majoring in the same studies. Questions regarding this year’s scholarship and requests for application forms should be directed to 508-945-9658 or via email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The deadline for submitting materials is April 15.